The Centre is committed to the development of coastal areas, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has said. He was inaugurating the Valiyazheekkal lighthouse in Alappuzha on Saturday.
Mr. Sonowal said the coastal areas had enormous tourism potential and his ministry was ready to assist if the State government presented good proposals.
The Valiyazheekkal lighthouse, a 41.26-metre-tall reinforced cement concrete tower with elevator and allied buildings, was constructed in 1,830 square metres of land at a cost of ₹8.49 crore. It is India’s first pentagon-shaped lighthouse and the second tallest in Kerala.
On solar energy
The light equipment, an LED marine lantern with a luminous range of 24 nautical miles, works on solar energy. The Valiyazheekkal lighthouse will benefit the mariners sailing through the region and the local fishermen. It is expected to boost tourism activities in the region. It has a lift to take visitors to the top of the tower.
The lighthouse is linked to the National Automatic Identification System (NAIS) for tracking ships.
Earlier, the Centre had approved the construction of 75 lighthouses including 11 in Kerala. A.M. Ariff, MP; and Ramesh Chennithala, MLA; attended the function.
